The National Council of Sports (NCS) has flagged off the Uganda national men’s cricket team, the Cricket Cranes, ahead of the final round of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B tournament in Tanzania.
The team set to depart after an official flag-off ceremony at Lugogo this Friday morning, with the tournament scheduled to run from August 6 to 19, 2026.
Captain Riazat Ali Shah, who missed Uganda’s tour of Mumbai in May, returns to lead the side in what is expected to be the most decisive phase of the qualification campaign.
Uganda will play five matches against hosts Tanzania, Bahrain, Hong Kong-China, Italy and Singapore in the final of the three scheduled Challenge League B rounds.
The Cricket Cranes currently top the standings with 18 points from 10 matches after the opening two rounds. If they retain their position at the end of the Tanzania leg, Uganda will qualify for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off, bringing them a step closer to securing One-Day International (ODI) status and becoming the 26th nation to compete in ODI cricket.
Head coach Steven Tikolo, who was reappointed earlier this year to replace Abhay Sharma, will oversee the team’s campaign. Robinson Obuya and Mathew Musinguzi have been named as reserves, while Kenneth Waiswa, Cyrus Kakuru and Sumeet Verma return to the squad after missing the Mumbai tour.
Cricket Cranes Squad
Captain: Riazat Ali Shah
Vice Captain: Kenneth Waiswa
Fred Achelam, Dinesh Nakrani, Cyrus Kakuru, Alpesh Ramjani, Juma Miyaji, Henry Ssenyondo, Cosmas Kyewuta, Kenneth Waiswa, Raghav Dhawan, Gerald Olipa, Sumeet Verma, Joseph Baguma and Simon Ssesazi.
Reserves: Robinson Obuya and Mathew Musinguzi.
